Travel

Hello from Budapest. I recently visited the charming European city of Budapest. That’s when I realised it’s all about food, fashion, old architecture, thermal baths, watering holes, multiple bridges, a gigantic parliament, and ofcourse Danube so blue. This Hungarian capital, is simply charming, gorgeous and has an understated elegance. While Prague boasts about being the most popular tourist destination in Eastern Europe, the city of Budapest is way more exotic. The city is divided into Buda & Pest via the river Danube. I visited this charming city last year, and fell in love with it.

Pro tip: Most of the actions happens, in Pest, so I will suggest staying on that side. However the Hungarian Parliament which is a landmark building is also in Pest, so many tourists would like to stay in Buda, just to get great views of it.

The highlights of the city:

Danube Promenade: walking along either side of the river, you will see old stylish buildings and beautiful bridges.

Buda Castle & the finicular: Ride up the oldest funicular in the world, and don’t forget to watch the change of guards ceremony in the castle.

Fisherman’s Bastion & Matthias Church: get ready to be awed by all the white around you in buildings which are neo gothic style. Matthias church looks very unique as the white is embellished with orange, yellow, red and green mosaic.

The Hungarian Parliament: this is the most important building in the city.

Pro tip : if you want an insider tour, you need to carry along your passport.

This year marks the 20th year of India’s largest & most iconic art fair. Over the years the number of people has just been increasing.

Here is a quick guide on what to enjoy at the fair over weekend.

Art Installations : there are over 10 of them , but here are the unique ones.

1. Vespa power to earth

Mother Earth with its core elements of fire, wood, water, metal and air depicted through the scooters.

2. Warping Time

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This wheel depicts, time since the festival was started. All the efforts that were put and over the years how more effort is being put. I totally love the colourpop.

3. Kalamandal

20 years of celebrating the festival. It’s very relevant to what is happening. Artists gathering together, and putting in tons of effort. To showcase splendour to public, over the years.

Whilst, there are great installations to watch, there’s also art and literature people can create.

This beautiful lamp creation workshop, where the public, spend 90 minutes to design their own lamp. It should have some kinda special meaning for them.

Author a Book:

There are 90 different topical subjects, given as books. As an individual you could choose any number of subjects , that you want to leave your opinion on as many topics that you will like to. After few months, all 90 topics will be combined together to publish a book, which will have name of contributors.

Another really interesting thing to do at the fair is take a foot massage for 15 minutes, from a blind volunteer of the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind. It only costs 100 Rs and is a wonderful means of earning for the blind.

What to shop at Kalaghoda ?

The festival is known for unique decor, clothes, accessories. It is a great platform for budding entrepreneurs.

my favourite stalls

thenandnow: Fantastic decor and furniture hand painted in a series of colours by tribal artists. I am definitely going online and ordering some for my home.

Suchita: really awesome accessories.

Zubiya: very cool footwear. Check these out.

Shopping is subjective, so check it all out.

Food: No festival is complete without food. All restaurants in Kalaghoda area put up their stalls. Grab a grub at Chetna snacks, to get a flavour of Mumbai, and then for the sweet head over to Nutcracker to have their pancake or 7 layer cookie.

During the autumn of 2017, my husband decided to take me to visit the Balkan, Our itinerary included Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. While we were in Dubrovnik and saw some day trip getaways, it was just a sudden plan to take a trip to Bosnia & Herzegovinia. And I am so thrilled we did this one, as Kravice and Mostar Bridge are truly hidden gems.

This country has always been a stage of war. 104 years ago in June 1914 Austrian Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in the capital Sarajevo, and thus began the First World War.

Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the republic proclaimed independence in 1992, which was followed by the Bosnian War, lasting until late 1995. During the 80 s and early 90s because of its geographical region sandwiched between the Serbs attacking the Croats and Croats defending themselves several innocent civilian lives were lost. The war between Croatia and Serbia completely destroyed Bosnia. A country having a monthly income per person of 2000 euros, today has 50 euros monthly per person.

However the country and their people are slowly picking themselves together and rebuilding brick by brick with the help and support of the United Nations and various other nations as well.

Having seen pictures of Kravice and the beautiful Mostar Bridge we decided to do a daytrip.

Our first stop was the beautiful Kravice waterfall. To me this waterfall was prettier than Niagra. The beautiful green colour of the water with reflection of surrounding nature sure was a mesmerizing sight. This place is actually called Niagra of Europe. However in this poverty stricken land food and alcohol is very reasonably priced. People here want others to give them business in order to have some kind of livehood. While you walk towards the waterfall viewing point there are a few shops, which sell home, made jams, honey and locally distilled liqueurs. The price point for some of these items is in the region of 1 Euro to 5 Euros approximately. Tourists do enjoy taking a dip in the calm green waters, when it is summer and water temperature is enjoyable.

The most famous attraction here is the Starri Most. When you see the bridge from the bottom, there is a beautiful arch, many buildings, including a minarat and a whole lot of greenery. The turquoise blue colour of the water is so inviting.

But the water is freezing cold. Here locals to clean the place up have a tradition of jumping off the bridge. All the tourists who are there collectively give them 10 euro per jump. Infact even the people who jump off the bridge, definitely need to shower, in order to regulate their body temperature, before they take the plunge.

The vibrant humanity and the persistent reminders of the terrible war during the mid 1990scombine to make Mostar a tear jerking experience when you leave the place. It is truly emotional even for the guide when they explain to tourists on a daily basis. The bridge was destroyed during the war and has since been rebuilt and open to public in 2004. In 2008, it has been declared a UNESCO world heritage sight.

Prior to the war, Mostar was famous for its Turkish style stone bridge, which was nearly 4 centuries old. The single-pointed arch was a symbol of Muslim society’s existence here. The architecture was an absolute marvel. It also signifies the town’s status as the place where East met West in Europe. In the mid 1990s, Mostar became a poster child of the Bosnian war.

The shops here definitely had a bit of Turkish influence like cobbled streets; they were more like roadside shops and a bazaar like atmosphere. You could definitely get some good bargain buys here. Some of the famous local items could include rugs, pottery and jewelry. There are lovely little riverside cafes where visitors could relax and have some delicious Turkish coffee.

We had a lovely tasty Bosnian lunch which included a couple of drinks along with starters like pita bread, harissa dip, and hummus.and main course dishes included lamb shwarama and shish touk for two people, all this along with Kawah (Turkish coffee) just for 10 Euro which in Croatia would easily be double to triple the cost.

On our way back to Dubrovnik we stopped at Pocetlji; a small Bosnian town on the Herzegovina side. It was a beautiful old mosque on one side and a bell tower on the other. Again here there was lovely Turkish accessories, and a lot of fresh fruit juices and jams. If your fond of fresh rasberries, you can get almost a ½ a kilo for just 1 Euro. Take some back and enjoy your bus ride back to Dubrovnik.

Some key points to be noted while travelling in this region:

Since borders are close by it is important to carry passports and other documents for verification purposes.

You may not be able to bargain too much in Croatia or Montenegro but one can certainly bargain in Bosnia but you do feel bad if one overdoes it given the state of affairs and socioeconomic scenario there.

Walk carefully on the cobbled steps as you approach the bridge, as it can get slippery.

2017 has been fairly decent in terms of travel, food and shopping for Globejamun. Between KK and me, we made it to 20 destinations in 9 countries. While we were putting together a roadmap for 2018, we quickly did a throwback to 2017 reminiscing about some fond memories about the places we visited, the cultures we embraced, the people we met and the memories we crafted. Looking forward to travel packed 2018 with many more stories to tell!

Auroville, India
A place of global unity located partly in Tamil Nadu and partly in Pondicherry. The best part about this place is the absence of any religion and the fact that it belongs to nobody but everybody! Many artists flock together in pursuit of art and culture.

Andaman Islands, India
These islands have some interesting marine facts – house to the largest living arthropods in the world, The Robber Crab and the largest sea turtle, The Leatherback. The Radhanagar beach which features in the top 10 beaches in the world is a treat to watch and experience. We loved our time soaking up the sun!

Bangkok, Thailand
I don’t think one can ever get bored of this place. Each time we visit, Bangkok has something new to offer. Not to forget the numerous party places, the crazy night life, never ending shopping, the dont-you-ever-stop massages and the food coma that Bangkok offers. Despite all the madness, Bangkok has some crazy laws, like it’s illegal to leave your home without underwear. What! Really?

Jim Corbett National Park, India
Known for the Bengal Tigers, this park was named after a legendary tiger hunter Jim Corbett. This is perhaps the first time I sighted one; what a magnificent beauty I must say! Apart from the safaris one can only enjoy the sounds of nature.

Los Angeles, USA
KK loves LA for everything the city offers, the beaches and of course Hollywood! The only nagging part is probably the traffic for the cars outnumber the people in LA!

Masinagudi, India
Surrounded by forests, Masinagudi is a great getaway from the mundane city life. Relax in cottages amidst the jungle and listen to the chirping of birds in the morning, creaking sounds of insects in the evening and the silence of the night.

Mexico
Well we have a different perspective about Mexico. While the country is associated mostly with gangsters and guns, we think this is more to this place. It is a beautiful city with a lot of religious people. Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is probably one of the prettiest churches we have ever seen!

Bhutan
The land of ‘Thunder Dragons’ or ‘Druk Yul’ is known for it’s GNH (Gross National Happiness) and is fondly called a ‘Happy Nation’. Trust us; there is more to this country: their awe-inspiring architecture, magnificent mountains, soothing air, friendly people, reverence for the King & Queen, amongst many others.

Varkala, India
Eat, sleep and repeat. Sumptuous food, organic and fresh produces, healthy juices, massages, Ayurveda, yoga and some more yoga. It only takes these many words to sum up this place. A great place to spend some ‘me’ time.

Singapore
Another place we keep going back to is Singapore for it is truly a shopper’s haven and a foodie’s paradise. There is something new to explore each time we visit and not to forget the Universal Studios.

Koh Samui, Thailand
The island offers a unique culture and charm apart from beautiful beaches. The attractions in Koh Samui lean more towards the low-key, natural end of the scale, which best suit’s the island’s general ambiance. One can truly enjoy the remarkable sites of historic, cultural and religious significance as well as sights of breath-taking natural beauty.

Portland, USA
We made it to the Tulip Festival! There is nothing like the colors of the tulip fields in the spring backed by Mt. Hood and surrounded by fresh country air. Every year the varieties are arranged differently in a new pattern of color. It’s such a candy to the eyes.

Bintan, Indonesia
Bintan caters for all; whether you are an adventurous explorer or enjoy relaxing in a tropical paradise with endless pearly white beaches, a wide varieties of resorts and holiday activities including golf, spa and water sports.

Slovenia
The only country in the world which has the word ‘love’ in it’s name. The country has some of the friendliest people we have ever come across, extremely warm and accepting. Slovenia is pure pristine beauty – right from the snow-capped peaks to the lush fir trees to icy cold waterfalls to clear and sparkling lakes. We highly recommend you visit this place with a special someone to amplify the love!

Kovalam, India
Known for it’s surf school, Kovalam is one of India’s top surfing destination. We decided to learn the sport and camped for a couple of nights. The feeling was exhilarating and connected us deeply with the ocean.

Kanyakumari, India
The southernmost tip of India where one can witness the confluence of Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. With long stretches of sands of many hues, the beach offers a welcome change. Apart from the many temples, the Vivekananda rock makes for a spectacular sight not worth missing.

Hampi, India
Hampi is like a 2 sided coin -serenity on one side, full of culturally rich stories from the Vijayanagara Empire, and salvation on the other with the sin city of Hampi, the ‘hippie’ island. Once upon a time, Hampi meant temples, temples, and more temples. History and heritage served hot on a platter of sun-baked boulders and quiet village life. But today it has more to offer for the low budgets and ‘high spirits’.

Croatia
Croatia is the perfect blend of everything; mouth-watering food, crazy shopping, stunning beaches and not to forget the drool-worthy men! We could go on and on about the shopping scene here, but we think its best experienced. Definitely value for money!

Sikkim, India
Sikkim is one of the most serene and peaceful places to visit. The sight of the Himalayas, the rising of the sun amidst the snow cap mountains, the clean glacial water of the valleys, the freshness in the air, the sound of the monks chanting and the simplicity of life in the north east is something that everyone must experience once in a lifetime.

Tuticorin, India
Probably the best kept secret of Tamil Nadu, Tuticorin is the answer to a tired mind and soul. We parked ourselves at Aqua Outback which is a short drive from the city. Equipped with air-conditioned rooms, gastronomic food, water sports, clear blue sea and an amazing host, it is a perfect weekend getaway.

We were visiting family in Singapore and wanted to do a quick weekend getaway to Bintan Island, Indonesia. It takes about an hour by comfortable catamarans. Bintan caters for all; whether you are an adventurous explorer or enjoy relaxing in a tropical paradise with endless pearly white beaches, a wide varieties of resorts and holiday activities including golf, spa and water sports.

We were staying at Indra Maya Pool Villas at Nirwana Resort Hotel. This villas are an exquisite fusion of exotic Indonesian, Thai and Chinese architectural elements. The resort offers a huge variety of activities including water sports, spa, bowling alley, basketball to name a few.

We have just uploaded our first vlog. Would love to hear your feedback and comments.

If you tell someone your visiting Bangkok, I am sure they will say, “You must visit a floating market”. I actually heard this comment when I told someone, I just returned from Bangkok. And when my reply was, “No, I didn’t go”, they were like, “Oh noooooooo”, you missed something really fun, a fabulous experience”. The truth is I did want to visit, but to do that, you need to start your day before sunrise. On my first visit, my laziness got the better of me. So on my second visit to Bangkok, just a couple of weeks ago, I decided to visit these colorful markets.

As soon as I arrived into Bangkok, the first thing I did, was got on to the internet and booked a floating market tour. I decided to visit Damneon Saduk Floating Market. This was basis all the reviews I read. This market is one of the most visited floating markets, and one of the biggest, in and around the vicinity. This tour costs approx $80 with a pick from most hotels in the city. This market is approximately 2 hours from the main city.

I started reading a little bit about what these markets are, and why they are so famous.

There is a long history behind why Thailand has these markets?
A lot of Thailand including Bangkok, are in the low wetlands, the area around is jungle and has a tropical climate. When Thailand first got inhabited, the first areas to get populated were around these rivers. Boats would be the main mode of transport and trade would take place in them.

Even today, these boats which are so colorful and all dressed up, are an interesting trade, and attracts lot of tourists.

The day arrived and I was all excited to go visit this vibrant and colorful place. The bus came and picked me up from the hotel itself. Tour operators are very punctual and arrive atleast 15 mins before your pick up time. Why I am emphasizing this is because, I met a girl Slava, from Slovakia, who was on a 3 month South East Asia tour, and she was quite surprised because in Mynmmar her tours always started an hour or more later. THAILAND IS ON TIME !!
Before the floating market, the tour takes you to a coconut plantation. They tell you how coconut sugar is made. Your get to try it out, and it tastes super yummy. I request you to only buy sugar from there and nothing else from the market in the plantation, because you get a lot more variety at the floating market. To enter the floating market, there are 2 ways, the bus directly takes you to the spot, or you sit in Thai speed boat, and ride through the canal, with beautiful views of authentic Thai houses and lifestyle.Tip: Please carry a waterproof camera, as a lot of water splashes inside the boat.

On the tour I made friends, with Slava, who I mentioned earlier. We decided to explore the market together.

The point where the boat stops there are very few other boats selling goods. Thats not the actual market. You need to walk a few hundred meters and then you reach multiple souvenir shops. They sell everything right from Jade Buddha to goodies made of coconut shell, to batik dresses, costume jewelry, bags and the famous tuk tuk. As we move further we could pose with the python and hold a lemur (pic with a baby monkey). At first we were very scared to take a picture, because we noticed a few people who would hold him, he didn’t let go of them. So we moved ahead and entered where the boats with traders begun. But before that you need to stop at a picture point (your at a height) and the floating market below you), and pose.

Then we walked down the steps, just to enter a place so vibrant, colorful and full of life.
The merchants in the boats sell thai fruits, corn, vegetables. On either side there are food stalls where you get to taste delicious thai food. Slava and me had some pad thai, and thai tea.we were sitting there and just soaking in the vibe of this very gorgeous place. We took a lot of pictures. The merchants in their boats will pose for you. At such an awesome place you don’t even realize how time flies.

On our way back up we ate some Dosa with egg yolk filling, that slightly sweet and Slava ate the one with carrot and basil. That is savory and a bit spicy. These dosas are unique, and are a speciality here. You can have pancakes too.
TIP: Please do not eat breakfast. There is a whole lot ion great food in the market.

On our way out, Slava mentioned, that she only came to the market to take photo with the Lemur. We both were actually scared, but then she decided to take a photo with Tichi. I too decided to go ahead. And believe you me, holding him was the cutest, most cuddly feeling. I just didn’t want to let go. I wish I could take you home, Tichi. I miss you

Some things to remember at a Floating Market:

Carry cash with you, most places do not accept credit card.
Bargain at the souvenirs shops, slash the price by atlas 60% when you start. You by the end will pay 40%- 45%less than quoted price.
Don’t forget to pose with the lemur. U need to pay 200 baht. But its sure worth the shot
Don’t eat breakfast and come, there are lots of thai delacies in the market.
I recommend to take a tour and not travel on your own, as its very far, your taxi bill will be 3 times the tour cost.
Take a tour that makes you experience the thai boat through the canal to reach the market.
If you wants pictures of the canal while your in the boat, carry a waterproof camera.
Where shorts or 3/4th as in the boats you need to sit crossed legged and bottom of pants if full, will sure get dirty.

As we all know, shopping is a girl’s best friend. We get immense pleasure and a certain glint in our eyes when we enter a shop and feast upon the numerous things it has to offer us. We mentally make plans on how to make space for extra clothes in the already stuffed closet or to explain the 4th pair of shoes for the month or even how to make space in the suitcase to carry home the ‘must-have-or-I-will-regret-it-later’ souvenir. For a shopping addict like myself, I found Croatia an inexpensive destination and hence could take home a lot of their local flavour with me.

Here’s what a typical tourist shouldn’t miss shopping for in Croatia:

1. The neck tie: I am sure, you will wonder “why”? Wouldn’t you want to gift your special someone a tie from the land where it was invented? Yes, the humble necktie was founded by the Croats. During the war in the 17th century, small neckerchiefs were worn by the Croatian mercenaries. This would tie and hold their jackets on their backs. King Louis XIII took a fascination to this accessory and found it very decorative. He liked it so much that he made it a compulsory accessory at all his royal gatherings. And to honor Croatian soldiers, he gave it the name, “La Cravate”, which is what the necktie is called in France, even today.

2. ‎Sea Salt: Known as ‘white gold’ of the Adriatic, Croatia has the highest and best quality of salt producing methods. This salt is available at shops for cooking purposes, bathing purposes etc. You must definitely not miss out the very delicious sea salt chocolates.

3. Wooden Toys: In and around Zagreb, a city skirted by Hrvatsko Zagorje, you will find many toy makers who personally hand carve each toy from locally grown wooden trees. Once the men finish the carving, the women will paint them in very bright colours. Commonly found toys include trains, planes and horses. To increase the popularity and get a lot more tourists to purchase these wooden toys, they have now started hand carving wooden dolls but instead of painting them, they make them wear local Croatian clothes. This gives it a very local flavour. Infact when I was speaking to the store owner and I told her about my little globe that travels with me and makes an appearance in all my pictures, she excitedly gave me a wooden doll as gratis and asked me to take a picture of the globe with the doll at my favourite spot in Croatia.

4. Croatian Cuturica: This is a wooden flask from the outside but has a glass bottle on the inside. Owning this is a family tradition and has been carried down generations. It is used at all Croatian weddings too. I hear this legend from a local Croat.

5. Lavender: Croatia is one of the largest producers of lavender in the world. The climate and soil here are ideal for this flowering plant. The main area for growing this is around the mountainous regions of Hvar which is said to have the best quality lavender. Blooming season is in June & July. Rest of the year you can see small kiosks selling lavender in its various forms – lavender bath salt, perfumes, shower gels, dried flowers, lavender oil or fragrance bags.

6. ‎Truffles: If you are a big fan of the mushroom kind of truffle oil flavour, you sure are going to enjoy eating in Croatia. They add this flavour in everything – from your risotto, to your pasta or scrambled eggs and even the cheese in pizza – this item sure is a delicacy. There are truffle / mushroom hunting tours in the Istria. This black or white fungus is picked from the dark woods and sold at a fortune in Croatian markets. Bring home some cheese, oils and spreads packed with this flavour, to relive your memories of Croatia.

7. ‎Goodies: Show your taste buds some Croatian culture by trying olives stuffed with nuts, chilli & cheese, fig cakes flavoured with lavender or orange zest and last but not the least chocolates.

If you are not too much into the food scenario or maybe have more countries to travel to from Croatia and can’t carry perishables, fear not, there are plenty more souvenirs for you to choose from. From the usual magnets, coffee mugs and shot glasses that are a must to bring back home, you also get colorful hand painted glasses . One of the best place for Croatian gifts is the Dalmac market of Zagreb. For all you Game of Throne fans, there are special souvenir shops in Dubrovnik Stari Grad.

Croatia has so much local shopping, that too at such reasonable prices, that you are sure to bring home some great memories. Just be sure to carry an extra foldable bag in your suitcase to lug around your stash ;-

The day was 25th August 2017 and I was extremely excited to welcome my Bappa home! The festival is know as ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ in Mumbai and ‘Vinayaka Chaturthi’ in Chennai. Although I live in Chennai, my better half was born and bought up here, I am a hard core Bombayite by heart! I proudly call myself SOBO (South Bombay) girl. So when I moved to Chennai 2 years back, I started to celebrate every festival ‘Mumbaiya’ style. Same is the case with my Ganesha. He comes home in a true King style, and my family and friends come to take his blessings.

So now every year I get to experience Ganesha festival in both Mumbai and Chennai. Usually the first 3-4 days I’m in Chennai and the second half of the festival in ‘Aamchi Mumbai’. There is a big difference in the way the festival is celebrated in both the cities. In Chennai, the festival is more about religious prayers and thanksgiving to God. Every Tamil household keeps a Ganesha made out of mud and they offer sweet Kozhukkattais.(sweet dumpling made from rice flour, with a filling of grated coconut and jaggery)

Here are some Ganeshas that I enjoyed seeing in Chennai:

The Corn Ganesha

Majority of the body is made with Indian corn( Sorghum ), to give an earthy color. Few parts that need to be highlighted are made with the ripe yellow corn and the light green skin.

The Watermelon Ganesha

This lord is made with 3500 watermelons. I totally loved the creativity.

As you can see Chennai Ganesha’s are more sober looking and monochrome. The festival is a quite affair here. This is in complete contrast to Mumbai where the pandals(a marquee) are open 24*7 and the Lord is very colorful. The pandals have loud music playing and the festival is a reason to socialize and enjoy.

Some of the Mumbai Ganeshas that I loved are:

The Red Ganesha

This Ganesha belongs to Pratibha Industies. They have had this Lord come to their pandal for 35 years now and every year he wears the color red.

Vishnu Ganesha

This Ganesha’s color was so eye catching. That pearl lilac was something I have never seen before. This one is an avatar of Lord Vishnu, and is made with 4 animal forms: fish, turtle, boar and lion.

Khetwadicha Raja

There is an area in Mumbai, called Khetwadi. You cannot miss walking around Khetwadi during this festival. It’s like a mela (a fair) and you can visit atleast 15 Ganesha pandals.

The Lord above is the King of Khetwadi, infact every year this Lord is the winner at the “Times of India Ganesha Utsav”(a competition held by a leading publication for the best creativity/theme with which the God/pandal is made). The Bhojan (food) that is offered to the God is mouth watering!(The picture on the right)

Fort-Icchapurti Ganesh(The Lord who hears your desires)

This Ganesha, is one of the most peaceful Ganeshas I have ever visited. The chant brings you inner pease and calm.
P.S. – His right palm which is made of pure gold.

Chocolate Ganesha

This is undoubtedly my favorite! Made up of 30,000 pieces of Cadbury, a total of 69 kgs of chocolate! It’s miraculous how there ain’t a single ant out there. The temperature of the pandal is maintained by 4 air conditioners.

It’s been 3 days since all the Ganeshas have been immersed in the sea, and I’m totally missing them! Mumbai seems like a different place when he is around. Every year, I wait for him to come back to my home, and bless all my near and dear ones!

“Yay, I’m finally going to America. It’s my first holiday abroad. And wow, almost a month!” I was only 9 years old and it was the summer of 1995. Those days it was a big big deal – taking a trip abroad. But my Pops made it happen for me, and it was truly a dream come true!

Pops, yes that’s what I call my father, my lifeline, my everything. Where should I start from? I’ve known him for 32 years and can write pages about him. His first trip abroad was when he was 32, on a job in Mount Senia Hospital, NYC. He took his first International flight with 7 dollars in his pocket and spent 6 dollars of it to see two movies on his journey. The balance 1 dollar was used at a public telephone booth to call the person who came to receive him at the airport. So it’s Friday evening, this man’s first time in New York City, and he has no money in his pocket. I’m talking about 1976 – the age of withdrawing money only from banks, no ATM machines and most importantly no cell phones. Being a weekend the bank was also closed. So what does my Pop do? He’s goes to Bloomingdales, picks up a very fancy suit and pays a heavy price by cheque. Then goes to the return counter, returns the suit and takes back the price in cash. Smart way to survive his first weekend in New York, Eh?

Pops has always been a super smart traveller. He knew exactly how to get his way around in an unknown place. My fondness and love for travel is something I have inherited from him. Pops is a Doctor by profession and his profession has allowed him to travel a lot. Right from attending conferences in Barcelona to setting up Dialysis units in Mauritius to even giving talks in Sri Lanka – he has done it all.

I will never forget this incident from about 9 years ago that completely changed my impression of travel. Pops was travelling to Srilanka and didn’t want to go alone. It was a flying visit of hardly 2 days & 1 night. Nobody in my family wanted to disrupt their routine and appointments for such a short trip. I being the youngest, Pops literally dragged me along. He wanted me to experience life. To literally see the world and not stay in my cocoon in Mumbai. Hesitatingly I agreed. And believe you me, in that so called little time I did a city tour of Colombo, saw some of the famous hotels, went to Odel and did some shopping, drove to Bentota and spent the night there, got a massage and also visited a beautiful Buddha temple, that had a branch taken from the tree where Buddha attained enlightenment. The cherry on the ice-cream was picking up a Noritake cutlery set and a LOT of Dilmah flavoured teas. That really short trip made me realise that when life gives you the opportunity to travel, take it! Even if it’s just a weekend getaway. The sights, sounds, lessons you learn, exposure to different cultures and opinions is not just refreshing but absolutely life changing. It broadens your horizons and your outlook to life.

Little did Pops realise that after that getaway I became a travel addict. I would join him every time he had to travel. He’s always treated both his children equally. His famous dialogue is – “I have 2 eyes and I’m not a squint”. So when my brother went to Canada for studies, I too was sent to California for higher education. Oh that one year of living in the USA changed my life totally!!! All my lessons came from – Travelling like a local, not a tourist!

Unforgettable Travel Tips from Pops:

1. Always travel very light – whether you are travelling for 5 days or 20 – pack just 2 pairs of jeans and many tops. It not just keeps the weight low but it gives you a chance to shop there as well 😉

2. While returning from a country where the time lapse is a lot, take a flight that reaches your city by 7am. Take a power nap for an hour and immediately head to office. This strategy helps to overcome jetlag.

3. On city tours that span the whole day, eat a heavy breakfast in the morning and a heavy, early dinner. Since lunch is on the go – keep it light.

4. If you are travelling solo or as a couple, use public transport to get from the airport to the hotel. If more than two of you are there, hire a cab.

5. Drink a lot of water and take short walks around the airplane. This helps you overcome jet lag as well as deep vein thrombosis.

6. Carry an umbrella/ windcheater always. In most western countries you get the odd drizzle at any point in time. Don’t let rains ruin you travel plans.

7. Start young. You will have time and energy on your side.

8. Always carry a copy of your important documents with you and also leave a copy back home with someone reliable and someone who can be easily accessible. Also carry a softcopy of these documents on your phone or in your email. Password protect the folder.

9. Alert your bank about your travel plans in advance. You wouldn’t want the bank authorities blocking the card assuming that there is suspicious activity when you go around swiping it in a foreign country.

Today Pops celebrates 7 decades on this planet and I want to say, “My love and passion for travel is because you taught me to travel right, travel smart!” So here’s wishing you a very Happy Birthday. May you keep celebrating and keep travelling!

In my childhood between the age 4-7 years, I had heard so much about America. My uncle stayed in Miami and my parents would visit very often, but my elder brother and me had never been. To me my whole world meant America, because of Disneyworld and New York City. 25 years ago taking a trip to that part of the world was a big thing and not many people would go.

Since I was 5 years old, I would keep asking my father the question, “when are you taking me ?” I literally would chew his brains every week.

And finally my father decided to take us in the Summer of 1995, when my brother completed his 10th standard board exams (equivalent to O levels). USA was also the first International destination that my father wanted to take us, because he believes Disney is a Pilgrimage for every child and also that was the first place abroad, he had been to do his Fellowship in Mount Sanai Hospital, NYC, only difference at the age of 30 and me at the age of 9.

Tickets done, visa got (I still remember going on sitting at the US Consulate, in Breach Candy, Mumbai for almost 4 hours). It got me thinking, is it so difficult to go America. First lesson to go abroad, you need to have patience and a lot of it. Even more so when you take that 16 hour long flight via some place. So almost 24 hours of travel. We took Air India from Bombay (Mumbai as known today) to New York via London. But I was pretty comfortable with 24 hours of travel, my brother, mother, father and cousin sister’s company for a chatterbox like me worked as well as cartoons on the flight. An airline with a TV, I was so happy.

Finally we landed to New York. It was about 7pm in the evening, IST . I was very tired but wanted to go out and see this huge place I had heard so much about.

My memories of NYC:

I went up the Empire State Building, it was the first time I was seeing such a tall building, and watching the view of this city along with the Brooklyn Bridge. This made me feel “I’m on top of the world”.

I even went inside the World Trade Centre, was one of the lucky few. There were tours in those days that took you inside. Writing this brings a tear to my eye.

In all my 9.5 years, I never ever thought that streets could be fully lit, shops open, so many people and so much noice at midnight, that’s what I experienced when I saw Times Square. I was taken a back by the night life of this city. In all this glitz and crowd I found a Hersheys store open in these wee hours, it absolutely gave me a high, going and buy so much candy at that time, a complete Sugar High. And those Kisses chocolate mascots, first time in my life I had seen characters like that.

The boat ride along Hudson River to Statue of Liberty was something I was literally counting time, to reach the Lady. The island is beautiful. So many people and the lady look Magnificent. I had never come up close to such a large statue. Walking inside in the dark right to the top of the torch was little scary as it was very dark. And I would keep screaming to hear my echo. But when I reached the top, i felt liberated in the open air and the world below me.

My last day in NYC I visited Macy’s, the largest store in the world. Looking at such a huge collection of dresses, I was so confused what to buy myself. I wanted everything. I came out with a lot of clothes.

Another store that made me so happy was Toys R Us. Three floors of toys, games, cars, dolls, cartoon merchandise, chocolates, I just didn’t know where to begin. Finally I came out of the store with 4 bags of shopping.

The magic of Disneyworld:

New York was one big city experience. After that we flew to Miami, Florida and took a bus ride to Orlando. We had all of a week to spend in this magical place. The first place in Disney I saw was magic kingdom, I just couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. Mickey, Donald. Daffy, Goofy. The Disney parade was outstanding, the lights, music and dance. The rides in magic kingdom were not the scary rollercoaster but more experiental, and enjoyment. The thunder mountain ride, with the dip in the water, got me all drenched, but what was very fascinating was those dryers.

MGM Hollywood was interesting to learn about, how movies are made and how cartoons come to life. The Beauty & the Beast show, was one that has been edged in my memory forever.

Epcot center is definitely an interesting place with a lot of learning. I really found the show called “Making of Me” very amusing, and the cracker show very grand. I love fire crackers , and for Diwali go and watch the crackers on Marine Drive, but what I saw here, was out of the world.

2 things in Disney changed my life forever :

A. The ride called “Its a small world” : where the make you sit on a boat, and dolls are shown to you in setting and clothing of different countries in the world.

B. The world showcase at Epcot Center: where this area is divided into different countries from the world, and you see buildings, eat food from there, people walking in the local dress of that country.
Seeing these 2 things at Disney made me realise there’s a whole world out there to explore, and I want to see and experience it.
My trip continued, we visited Miami, Vegas, Niagra and on our return home saw London. But my experience in Disney changed my life and made me want to explore the world forever.
After that trip I’ve gone back to USA 5 times, and Godwilling will keep going for holidaying.